In happier days. (Photo by Carey Wagner/Sun-Sentinel.)
by James Oliphant
Seems like only yesterday John McCain was embarking on his final not-close-to-victory tour, with a beaming Joe Lieberman behind him every step of the way, a Sundance to his Butch on their way to their fateful encounter with the Bolivian army.
But the compadres were on opposite sides of a vote on the Senate floor Wednesday, with Mighty Mac having the audacity of trying to kill Joe's bill.
At issue is legislation that would grant the District of Columbia voting rights in the House. Under the bill, which survived a key procedural vote in the Senate Tuesday, the District would get a real, honest-to-goodness seat in Congress (and Utah would add a seat as part of the deal).
Right now, the District has a non-voting member in the House, Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Most Republicans hate the idea for reasons ranging from belief that it is unconstitutional, to pure antipathy for the District, to suspicions that if D.C. gets a House seat, it's only a matter of time before it ends up with two Senate seats, which likely would stay Democratic until the Earth falls into the Sun. Lieberman is a sponsor of the bill in the Senate.
McCain doesn't like the bill because he thinks its unfair to give Utah another House seat when other fast-growing states out West (like, for instance, Arizona) don't get anything. So he offered a point of order Wednesday, asking basically the Senate to basically declare the bill unconstitutional.
Legal scholars are split on the issue. But those who argue the bill would not survive a court challenge point to language in the Constitution that says the House must be comprised of members from "states." The District, as anyone who has lived here for a long time will tell you, is anything but a state. It's more like a concept with spotty trash collection.
(In fact, some Republicans say that if the people in the D.C. want statehood so badly, they would be happy to slice off a chunk and give it back to Maryland.)
But McCain's move failed by a 62-36 tally. Republicans aren't done trying to kill the bill, however, and are expected to offer several more "poison pill" amendments that would make the legislation less palatable. Their problem, as always, lies in the numbers. Hard to do much when you've only got a few votes north of 40.
Final vote on the bill in the Senate could come Thursday.
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Comments
Maybe not close in terms of electoral votes, but 52% vs. 46% (1% for the crazy people) is pretty darn close. But thanks for your showing your bias, Oliphant. We can always count on you.
If I were a republican from Texas right now, I'd immediately introduce a bill to exercise the apportionment clause in Texas' annexation agreement with the US. It states that Texas has the right to split itself into five separate states should "the citizens of the Republic of Texas (not the US)" ever decide to.
You'll have to deal with five John Cornyns and five Kay Bailey Hutchisons for your DC statehood, then.
Be careful what you wish for, libs.
Posted by: Jeff | February 25, 2009 3:51 PM
So Joe Liebertoad and Grampy McCain aren't kissing each other anymore?
Big deal, they're both opportunist losers who are going to get booted out of office soon.
Posted by: Bubba Porter | February 25, 2009 4:17 PM
Shouldn't it be as simple as D.C. isn't a state???
Posted by: Tim Manni | February 25, 2009 4:29 PM
Tim,
Not so simple. DC has among the highest taxes and has greater population than several states, and yet they only have a non-voting delegate in the house. That's the stuff of the American Revolution.
By the way, where's the Swamp's coverage of the rift between Cheney and W over the lack of a pardon for Libby? Even Rove admits to the friction. Couldn't happen to a more deserved couple...
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport ☯ | February 25, 2009 5:49 PM
Fine, then give everything that's not federal land back to Maryland, then, and they'll have all the representation they could want. The constitution is not just a piece of paper.
Posted by: Jeff | February 25, 2009 7:00 PM
46% to 53% is a popular mandate on steroids by GWB's own standards.
Posted by: C.Morris✈ | February 25, 2009 8:55 PM
Joe Lieberman reminds me of the David Spade character in the 1993 movie 'The Coneheads'. Remember that mealy-mouthed, head shaking in agreement, suck-up and #2 Immigration Officer who later flipped and stayed on the planet Remulac while being extremely obsequious to the King of Coneheads--in order to save his own hide. That is so Lieberman.
Posted by: Vivian | February 25, 2009 9:28 PM